Three promoted at Oxford County Sheriff's Office

by Tony Reaves, Staff Writrer Sun Journal Aug. 28, 2012

PARIS — Three deputies have been promoted at the Oxford County Sheriff's Office, after the retirement last week of Chief Deputy Dane Tripp. Capt. Hart Daley was promoted to chief deputy. Lt. Christopher Wainwright will take Daley's position as captain. Cpl. Brian Landis was named lieutenant.

Chief Deputy Hart Daley, who was promoted last week to succeed Dane Tripp, who retired, said he's looking forward to the new job, even if it means mostly leaving criminal investigations behind.

Daley said Sheriff Wayne Gallant discussed the promotion with him after Tripp announced his retirement, asking him if he'd be comfortable leaving criminal investigation work for an administrative position.

“I said absolutely,” Daley said.

Daley, who spent Friday moving into Tripp's former office, has been in law enforcement for more than 20 years. He started at the Rumford Police Department and worked there for more than 11 years. He was a firearms and defensive tactics instructor, and left as a sergeant.

Daley worked with Gallant, who was then a lieutenant in the Rumford department. He left for the Lewiston Police Department because, as a sergeant on the Rumford police force, he was stuck behind a desk.

“I wasn't ready for that,” Daley said of desk work. He worked three and a half years in Lewiston investigating domestic violence cases. In the spring of 2006, he got a chance to work in Oxford County as a lieutenant in the Sheriff's Department.

In addition to being the head detective investigating Oxford County crimes, Daley has worked as a domestic violence investigator for the Attorney General's Office and kept track of registered sex offenders in the county. He'll still help in investigations, if needed, but said it probably won't be often.

“I really enjoyed doing investigations,” Daley said. “It's very busy work. I met a lot of people — good and bad.” He called the new administrative position “a nice change of pace,” and said it will be a good way to finish out his time in the Sheriff's Office before his eventual retirement.

“It's going to be challenging, but I've got a great mentor across the hall in the sheriff,” he said.